Public questions answered in live COVID-19 broadcasts on health unit Facebook page

The Quinte region has five confirmed cases of COVID-19 as reported by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health. The region's medical officer of health is scheduled to answer questions regarding the pandemic Thursday at 1 p.m. through a Facebook live video. ALEX FILIPEjpg, BI

Community lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have climbed to five in Quinte amid a global pandemic, reports the local health unit.

The latest tally includes two new cases reported publicly by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health late Tuesday.

One of the new cases is attributed to travel outside the country while the other was transmitted from close contact with another person already infected, the health unit said.

The cases are not related to the 12 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded at the quarantine zone at CFB Trenton where passengers flown from cruise ship Grand Princess in California were released Tuesday after a 14-day isolation period at the airbase.

No deaths have been recorded in the local region related to COVID-19.

With a series of flights planned by the federal government to countries such as Peru and Morocco to evacuate other Canadians stuck abroad, it’s not known if those passengers expected to return in coming days will also be quarantined at CFB Trenton.

Dr. Piotr Oglaza, medical officer of health, couldn’t be immediately reached for comment by The Intelligencer Wednesday to comment on community transmission in Quinte.

But health unit staff said Oglaza will be reaching out to the Quinte community Thursday via the health unit’s Facebook page to help ease any concerns by local residents.

Karen LaRose, health unit communications coordinator, said Wednesday Oglaza will be logged on to the Facebook page live to answer all and any questions the public may have in real time.

The live session will begin at 1 p.m.

LaRose said “it will be live video and he will answer questions coming in from the public.”

Depending on the degree of interest shown by the public, LaRose said the live Facebook sessions could become a regular feature once or twice a week.

“Due to the demands on Dr. Oglaza’s time related to the COVID-19 response, and the high volume of media requests associated with COVID-19, this broadcast will be an ongoing weekly or bi-weekly occurrence, based on uptake. These broadcasts are expected to replace individual media engagements. However, written comments from Dr. Oglaza will also be available upon request,” the health unit said in a statement Wednesday.

To participate in the live event, go to the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Facebook page, facebook.com/hpepublichealth, and click on the videos tab.

Globally, the number of cases of COVID-19 climbed to more than 393,000 by midday Wednesday with 17,000 deaths and 103,000 recovered.

In Canada, there have been 28 deaths and a reported 2,892 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.

The Ontario government reported nine deaths and 671 confirmed cases as of Wednesday.

Local reports of COVID-19 further, meanwhile, will be posted on the health unit’s website’s COVID-19 page hpepublichealth.ca/the-novel-coronavirus-2019ncov/ and updated daily at 2 p.m.

In response to the increased need for community screening and information, the health unit’s COVID-19 information line is operating 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

Callers are assessed for risk of COVID-19 based on their travel history, symptoms, and the Ministry of Health case definitions.